secret dice.

Chapter 823 Finally found it

Luo Jun's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing the blond man's words.

After arriving in the wasteland world, he began wandering around, trying to find the location of the door.

However, the door did not emit any special fluctuations, and Luo Jun could not sense it at all. He also did not understand the [Wasteland], so he could only fly around aimlessly like a headless fly.

Based on previous experience, the main world will definitely establish a stronghold around the gate to the other world, and with the protection of cultivators from the main world, this stronghold is usually not small and should be very conspicuous in this wasteland.

Strangely, Luo Jun flew around the world several times, saw several large settlements, and even dealt with several mutated monsters of at least the fourth rank, but none of them were the location of the gate.

"Why don't we just use the Gate of All Realms?" Luo Jun pondered. Anyway, now that there was a reusable charger, the Gate of All Realms could be used once a day... It would just slow down the translation progress of the Supreme Master's Notes a little.

Besides, the Gate to the Wasteland is in the hands of the Hell Creek family. Luo Jun still has some things he wants to discuss with them. If possible, he would like to leave through official channels, but since he can't find one, he doesn't want to waste any more time.

Just as Luo Jun was about to give up the search, he suddenly noticed a giant tentacle baring its fangs in a bay. Not far from it was a small island, where many humans were gathered...

Another settlement? But it looks a bit small, so it probably isn't...

However, Luo Jun glanced at the swaggering tentacle and sighed, "Let's help them out. While we're at it, let's ask around. If we don't get any information, we'll stop looking and just open the door and leave!"

With this mindset, Luo Jun landed on the sea and quickly dealt with the monster, only to find that something was wrong. It was not a fourth-order mutant, but a human of the shapeshifting faction.
"Damn it..." Luo Jun grimaced. After visiting several settlements, he also knew that there were mutated superhumans in this wasteland world. They were usually humans who were infected with the Eternal Virus but did not turn into zombies. Instead, the virus modified their bodies, stimulated their potential, and awakened the ability to change their body structure and become monsters.

Based on the degree of modification and the strength of the monsters they transformed into, these ability users were divided into six levels, from S to E. It was thanks to these ability users that humanity was able to survive in the wasteland world amidst the ravages of the Eternal Virus.

Of course, this is the understanding of the native inhabitants of the wasteland. From the perspective of the main world, the transformation ability they have awakened is actually the ability of shapeshifters.

The transformation and strengthening of the body after viral infection is essentially equivalent to the improvement of the Foundation Strengthening Realm. While strengthening their physique, it also generates energy within their bodies that can be used for transformation, namely, Yuan Qi (vital energy).

However, unlike the cultivation system in the main world, the people of the Wasteland do not have a cultivation stage. This is because their abilities come from viral infection, and once the mutation is basically completed, they are considered to have completed their enhancement. Unlike the cultivators in the main world, who cultivate step by step through different realms, they have not formed any cultivation system.

Perhaps due to the rules of the world, even without going through the Foundation Establishment Realm, they can directly transform into shapeshifters using the vital energy within their bodies. Of course, there's also a theory that the external release of Qi in the Foundation Establishment Realm is merely a byproduct; the true essence lies in the improvement of the quality of vital energy. While the wasteland humans cannot release their Qi externally, after their mutations, the concentration and quality of their vital energy have reached a level sufficient to utilize their abilities.

Of course, how much one can improve, how much enhancement one gains, and what kind of transformation one awakens are all purely based on luck; there is no concept of cultivation at all.

Therefore, when Luo Jun first saw the woman's body floating on the surface of the sea, he felt somewhat guilty.

In his view, this woman was likely an ability user from this island settlement, protecting the other survivors. Although people from this world and those from the main world are essentially unrelated, humans struggling in a wasteland like this are still quite pitiful. Luo Jun, in a moment of weakness, killed their guardian, and he felt somewhat remorseful…

But before he could think of how to handle the aftermath, a large bird suddenly flew from the direction of the small island and headed straight for him!
Luo Jun also noticed that the large bird was actually a human in disguise. He figured it was probably there to seek revenge, so he didn't kill it. He just broke off its beak as a warning and made a sarcastic remark.

Who would have thought that the man who was transformed from the giant bird could understand the realm he spoke of and knew that he came from the main world!

Upon closer inspection, Luo Jun noticed that the man, who had transformed back into human form, was covered with a faint layer of qi, clearly indicating that he was not a native of the wasteland!

"Are you from the Hell Creek family?" Luo Jun looked at Kare: "Blonde hair and blue eyes, like someone with Hell Creek blood."

"Who are you?" Karei asked through gritted teeth, clutching Karin's corpse. Luo Jun's casual attack had made him realize the difference in their strength; his previous rage had subsided considerably, and now his eyes were filled with wariness.

"I haven't heard of any outsiders being let in recently!"

The Gate to the Wasteland is located within the territory of the Hellstream Clan, and the Hellstream Clan controls all access to it. Unlike the Wilderness, the Wasteland, being a post-apocalyptic world, is not rich in resources, so outsiders have little interest in it. The Hellstream Clan has not established an organization similar to the Wilderness Hunters Guild; they almost always develop the Wasteland independently, only occasionally cooperating with large cultivation organizations like companies to allow outsiders in.

"I was just passing through," Luo Jun smiled slightly. "I accidentally got lost and wanted to find the door to return to the main world..."

“You’re lying!” Kare frowned. “The only way to enter this wasteland is through the door. If you don’t know where the door is, how did you get in?”

"You're really quite ignorant..." Luo Jun shook his head: "Enough nonsense, are you taking me or not?"

As he spoke, he subtly released a murderous aura, which made Kare, who was opposite him, tremble with fear.

“But… the door isn’t open right now…” Kare looked at Luo Jun and asked tentatively.

"The Gate to the Wasteland opens once every three months, lasting fifty days each time. It should have been open for more than twenty days now." The Explorer Academy's courses included basic introductions to the various otherworldly realms, including the opening times and cycles. With Luo Jun's memory, he had already memorized them perfectly; otherwise, he wouldn't be searching for the gate here.

"Don't worry, I'm from the main world." Luo Jun shook his head: "My name is Ye, from Zhen Dan. People in the Federation may not be familiar with me, but most people in Zhen Dan should have heard of my name."

“You’re Night?!” Kare had obviously heard of him before and immediately nodded. “I need to contact the elder on duty.”

In the Hellstream family, below the patriarch Rex, the highest-ranking members are the elders, who take turns entering the Wasteland to manage the family's influence there.

“Okay.” Luo Jun raised his hand, and Kare picked up a communicator. After communicating for a while, he nodded: “The elder is willing to see you. Please come with me.”

Luo Jun nodded: "Lead the way."

Kare transformed into a giant bird once more, grabbing Karin's corpse with its claws and flapping its wings to take off. Luo Jun immediately took off to follow, the bird and the man flying one after the other towards the depths of the continent.

"What's happening here?"

The survivors of Kohler Island stared in disbelief as Kare and Luo Jun flew away.

"Are you just going to leave us here? What about Paradise City? What about the transport fleet?" ...

Meanwhile, on Luo Jun's side, although Kare was not at the peak, he was still considered to be at the high level of the Condensation Realm. The giant bird he transformed into flew at a speed comparable to an airplane, and in no time he flew hundreds of kilometers and arrived above a huge abandoned city.

“It’s right here.” Kare flapped his wings and hovered in the air.

"Here?" Luo Jun looked down. Although the city was large and filled with high-rise buildings, it was almost entirely a crooked ruin. Many buildings were reduced to steel frames, as if they had been ravaged by a massive explosion. Not to mention the ground, where roads had collapsed, weeds and vines grew rampant, and abandoned vehicle wreckage was everywhere, indicating that no one had lived there for at least several decades.

"This place doesn't look like it's inhabited by humans," Luo Jun said with some doubt.

"Our Hell Creek family's stronghold in the Wasteland is called Paradise City... Judging from the name, one might think it's a magnificent city built on the ground, but in reality, this city is built underground. In my opinion, calling it Hell City might be more fitting," Kare explained.

"What about the door?" Luo Jun asked curiously.

“The door is also underground,” Kare said. “When our ancestors from the Hellstream family passed through the door and came to this world, they were in a collapsed underground cavity. Paradise City was built little by little in this underground space.”

"I see, no wonder I couldn't find it after searching for so long on the ground."

Luo Jun nodded: "Lead the way."

“No problem.” Kare nodded, flapped his wings, and swooped down with increased speed.

Luo Jun immediately followed and flew towards the city center.

Before long, after passing a patch of crooked and broken building ruins, the two arrived at a bottomless pit.

“This is it,” Kare introduced. “Go down from here, and you’ll reach the entrance to Paradise City. Elder Caroline is waiting for you down there. As for the door, you can talk to her about it.”

Elder Caroline? Luo Jun had heard of this elder's name before. She seemed to be the youngest elder of the Hell Creek family, and the only person before him to have survived the Endless Maze. Of course, she survived by dying in the Rebirth Blood Pool.

Luo Jun glanced at the eerie black hole below, still feeling uneasy. He turned to Kare and said, "Could you introduce me to someone? After all, I'm unfamiliar with this place, and continuing like this might be offensive."

"Heh, even the infamous Night is afraid?" Kare sneered. "Alright, stick close to me, don't get lost."

With that, he flapped his wings and led Luo Jun deeper into the cave.

This enormous cave was even deeper than Luo Jun had imagined. The two of them slowly descended, flying for quite a while without reaching the bottom. The surroundings were pitch black, and the opening above their heads appeared as tiny specks of light the size of coins.

"How deep is it here?" Luo Jun asked.

“Have some patience,” Kare said. “The deepest part is more than two thousand meters below the surface. Without that scale, how can it be called an underground city?”

"Is there really a city here?" Luo Jun frowned. "It's too quiet. I can't hear any human activity at all."

"The reason why Paradise City has been able to stand until now is not only because of its deep underground concealment. Chieftain Rex has set up a defensive barrier around Paradise City, which can isolate all information and prevent the monsters that roam outside from discovering this place."

As they were talking, the two finally reached the bottom, and Luo Jun's feet stepped onto a somewhat sticky ground.

Viscous? Luo Jun frowned slightly: "What exactly is this viscous substance...?"

Before he could finish speaking, the giant bird that Kare had transformed into suddenly opened its mouth wide and let out a deafening screech!

"Ow!!!!"

At the same time, his wings flapped, and feathers shot out from his body, turning into thick bolts of lightning that struck in all directions. The flashing lightning vaguely illuminated the outline of the underground space hidden in the darkness!

Under the light of lightning, all that could be seen were rugged rock walls, riddled with holes about two meters in diameter. From a distance, they looked so densely packed that it sent chills down one's spine...

All the lightning bolts that Kare emitted shot into these holes!
Luo Jun frowned slightly. With his senses, he had already noticed the strange surroundings during the descent. The reason he was still willing to follow Kare down was twofold: firstly, Kare was scouting ahead, and secondly, he had overheard Kare's conversation with the elder opposite him using his exceptional hearing. The female elder had indeed ordered him to lead Luo Jun over.

Although he had some doubts, being in an unfamiliar world, Luo Jun simply assumed it was a defensive mechanism of the Hell Creek family's gathering point. But now, the situation was clearly not quite right...

As the howl and the lightning bolts shot out, Luo Jun heard a terrifying sound coming from all around him!

"Pfft!"

It's like a giant beating a drum made from the hide of an ancient behemoth, but more like...

"Pfft!"

The second sound came, even more powerful than the first!
"Pfft!"

The third sound followed immediately, shaking almost the entire underground space!

At this point, Luo Jun was certain that the rhythmic vibrations were not the sound of drums, but rather... a heartbeat!
What kind of heart could produce such a terrifying heartbeat? And what kind of powerful creature must its owner be?
Before Luo Jun could find the answer, Kare, who had activated the sleeping monster, suddenly burst into maniacal laughter. He transformed back into human form, holding Karin's corpse, and took to the air with wings sprouting from his back.

"No matter who you are, no matter what the elders' orders are, you killed my sister, so you must pay the price and prepare to face the wrath of a sixth-order mutant!"

(End of this chapter)